Communications
by AugustRaes
Summary: Raf inquires about Bumblebee's past, which causes Arcee to reflect on the past she shared with the yellow bot.


There was something about the way human eyes could bore into her soul that forced her to look up and turn from her work. Her blue optics flickered down to bore into bright, dark eyes covered by thick lenses. "I thought you and Bee were out for a drive," she quietly snapped to the newly turned teenager.

"Oh, we were," Raf answered, smiling that innocent grin of his as he leaned his form against the protective railing. The boy pushed up his glasses and tilted his head at the autobot. "But Bee got called to parole a possible energon source with Bulk. Optimus said it wasn't safe for me, so I got bridged back to base."

Arcee blinked and looked at the bridge. She hadn't even heard it go off. "Right," she said, turning back to work on her guns. The bot had hoped that the boy would soon grow bored and leave—then again, this was Raf. He never got bored with technology, in fact he was probably studying her every move in order to replicate her work later. She sighed and turned to look at him again, a hand on her hip. "Alright, I give. What do you want, Raf?"

He blinked up at her and then scratched his neck. "Is it alright if I ask you a few questions?"

The motorbike hesitated as she studied him. "Depends on the questions."

"They're about Bumblebee," he quickly answered. Rafael was not one to beat about the bush, he knew exactly what was on his mind and he desperately wanted answers to his questions. Arcee folded her arms and leaned back against the wall, crossing her leg over the other.

"What about him?"

Raf fidgeted with his glasses a moment before he seemed content with how they sat on his round nose. _An odd thing, noses_, Arcee quietly noted. "Well… he keeps alluding to things about his past, but… He keeps saying he doesn't know how to explain what happened."

Her brow arched and she tightened her folded arms. "… what sort of things, Raf?"

"Well, a lot of things, really. About how he became an Autobot… his relation with all of you. He talks a lot about you, actually," he mused, cradling his round face in his tiny hands. The female huffed and smirked in amusement.

"Does he?"

The boy smiled. "Yep."

The purple robot chuckled lightly before she shook her head in amusement. This fact was well known to her. She had heard it many times from the other bots—particularly Optimus. "So, what do you want to know?"

"First, how did Bee come to be an Autobot?"

Arcee sighed and closed her eyes before she straightened herself. "That's not something I can answer Raf. You'd be better off asking Optimus about that." She looked at the boy to see him typing notes furiously on his computer, brow furrowed in concentration.

"… why Optimus?"

"He's the one who raised Bee, he'd know better than any of us."

Raf paused in his notes and blinked before he broadly grinned. "That makes sense. So… where do you come in to his story?"

The female was quiet as she mused on her word choice. "… Bee and I met in training. I was a rebellious runaway found by Ratchet, and I was quickly placed into the training camps to whip me into shape so I would cause no harm to myself or anyone else. I was young then, but… Bee was much younger. Only a hundred years or so."

"That's young?" Raf interrupted, brow raised but his eyes never wavering from his screen. Arcee cast him a glance before she smirked.

"For a Cybertronian? Very young. Can I continue?"

"Sorry."

"He was smaller than I was then, but much stronger. He was and always will be stronger. Though… I'm afraid I was less than… kind to him," she sighed. The boy peered up at her, brow furrowed. Arcee hesitated before she continued. "Bee stuck to my side all through training, yet… I shoved him aside to make way for the bigger bots. I wanted to appeal to them, show them I wasn't going to let a youngling slow me at all. That's where I met my first partner, Tailgate… Still, Bee was there. He took shots for me and was extremely protective of all of us during training, besides being so… young and small…" She noticed the lack of typing and looked up at the small boy who was sternly staring at his computer screen. "Raf? Is something wrong?"

"… That's… really sad," he mused. "And yet… completely relatable. Always trying to be cool and then… falling out of the light when someone who does it so much more easily and is much taller… how'd you make up with him afterwards?"

"… He lost his voice."

The small boy blinked and looked up at her, taking in her sad, thoughtful expression. "… oh…" he whispered, closing his laptop slowly.

Arcee looked over at him and blinked slowly. "… is that all?"

"… yeah, thanks, Arcee," he said, forcing a grin onto his face, despite the sad air that settled between them.

Hours later, the female robot's mind was still occupied with the questioning of Raf. She sat atop the base in her bike form, her brain whirling with memories of Bee lying in medical bay, his throat torn open as he struggled to stay alive after days of being exposed in such condition. The memory still made her cringe and caused her extreme pain. She had stormed in, demanding Ratchet for aid on her jammed gun and had been quickly silenced by a cruel glare from the old medic who was elbow deep in mechanics. Optimus turned to look at her and by doing so revealed the patient.

Vaguely, she remembered cursing and then diving towards his bedside as she demanded to know what happened so she could kill the Decepticon scum who harmed him in such a way. His pale blue optics flickered towards her and narrowed in his way of smiling. Her insides broke at his inner strength as she felt his large hand settle on hers, as if she was the one who needed comfort and tenderness.

He was always like that. Treating others with more importance than himself.

She hated herself for not listening more intently when he spoke, because she could now never hear that sweet, sincere voice ever again.

_"… Arcee?"_ came the soft buzz of the yellow bot as he stepped up behind her. Quietly, she shifted into her bot form and turned to look up at him. He smiled, hands tapping together lightly as he tilted his head at her. _"Are you alright?"_

"I'm always alright, Bee," she sighed, giving him a light grin. "What can I do for you?"

He shrugged and stepped to her side before he sat down and clasped his hands between his knees. _"I was just checking up on you. You've been out for quite a while,"_ he hummed, grinning as she dropped beside him. _"I just got back from taking Raf and Jack home since you seemed so lost in thought."_ Arcee laughed and cradled her head in her hands, studying her own knees.

"That's… thoughtful of you, Bee," she said, turning her gaze up to the stars.

_"… mind if I ask what's on your mind?"_ he chirped, leaning back on his hands so he could look at her from a more comfortable position. She gave a laughing sigh and turned her head to peer back at the young bot who was smiling at her, optics bright and eager. Finally she shrugged and gave him a light smirk.

"Guess not..." she mused, looking back at the sky. "…Bee, I've always wondered."

_"Hmm?"_

Arcee hesitated for a brief moment, then, "… how in the All-Spark did you survive what Megatron did to you?"

Bumblebee beeped in surprise and straightened as he stared at the back of the female's head, his optics wide. He had not been expecting a question like that. He had supposed she was reminiscing on her lost partners—not on him. The little bot she had shunted aside during their years of training. The yellow giant looked at his hands and tapped his forefingers together as he searched for an answer to give the bot he adored.

Finally, he was able to get the thoughts into coherent words, _"… I thought of Father. I had to get home to him—to everyone. When everything got too painful and I felt like giving up, I'd remember what everyone else did for me, and… that gave me some strength to hold on."_ He trailed off and looked intently at his knees, his hands tightly clasped in thought. Arcee peered at him and took in the pained and nervous expression on his face. She moved to rest her hand atop his when he quietly buzzed, _"… You were what kept me sane, though…"_

Their blue optics locked and Arcee blinked—the statement was not what surprised her, it was that he was finally saying it aloud. Everyone knew of the harbored feelings that the young scout had for the female, but he had never admitted to any of it to anyone. Well, except for Rafael and Optimus, the only two beings Bumblebee trusted with everything.

Sadly, Arcee smiled and wound her hand into his much larger one. "Bee—"

_"This won't ruin us being friends, right? I would hate that—I like being your friend,"_ he chirped slowly, optics down as he wrapped both of his hands around hers. She noticed that he was trembling, ever so slightly, and she carefully rested her head against his arm.

"No, Bumblebee. Nothing could ever ruin us being friends," she quietly promised as she felt his grip tighten on her hands. He gave a buzz of relief and relaxed enough to shyly rest his head against hers.

Silence slowly rested between the two of them as they studied the night, musing over their earlier conversation. Arcee paid careful attention to the way Bumblebee's gears whirred as she found herself tucking closer to his side. He gave a soft hum and she felt his thumb softly start stroking over the top of her hand. She couldn't help a smile as she dropped her other hand atop of their already interlocked ones. Her lithe fingers carefully brushed over his bulky fists before she laced them between his. They clicked lightly, like two pieces meant to complete the other.

While Bee might have not been her first choice of a partner, he was the only choice that made any sense.


End file.
